This disclosure relates to an image processing system composed of an image forming apparatus and an information processing device which are connected to each other via a network, and further relates to an image processing method and the information processing device. More specifically, the disclosure relates to a technology for predicting and notifying, for example, toner insufficiency upon document printing performed by the image forming apparatus.
In the image processing system, an image (including, for example, a document, a photo, or a graphic) is transmitted from the information processing device to the image forming apparatus and received from the image forming apparatus by the information processing device via the network and the image is printed onto recording paper by the image forming apparatus. At this point, upon insufficiency of a toner used for the printing on the recording paper in the image forming apparatus, the image can no longer be printed.
Known is a technology in which, in such an image forming apparatus, a toner consumed amount of a toner consumed as a result of execution of a print job is subtracted from a remaining toner amount in a cartridge, and warning is determined in a case where the remaining toner amount obtained as a result of the subtraction reaches a given amount, an alarm indicating that toner lack will occur soon is issued in a case where the remaining toner amount obtained as a result of the subtraction is below the given amount, and an error is determined in a case where the remaining toner amount obtained as a result of the subtraction reaches zero. Also known is a technology of drawing the aforementioned toner consumed amount from relationship between a past number of prints and toner consumed amount.
Also known is a technology of measuring a number of dots upon printing execution, obtaining, as a toner consumed amount, a product of the number of dots and a toner consumed amount per dot, and subtracting the toner consumed amount from the remaining toner amount in the cartridge to predict a remaining toner amount after the printing execution. Also known is a technology of issuing an alarm upon reach of the remaining toner amount in the cartridge at a toner LOW threshold value and further permitting a change in the toner LOW threshold value when given condition is satisfied.